


Keep the Dreams Away

by YannietheMangle



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Black Widow - Freeform, Cute, Fluff, Happy, M/M, Stony - Freeform, Super Husbands, goldfish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 16:29:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4228866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YannietheMangle/pseuds/YannietheMangle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve Rogers has night terrors of water so cold it burns and wars that never end. Tony Stark has dreams of scalding sand and betrayal so bitter it burns his chest. When they end up finding comfort in one another, feelings Tony hasn't had in a long time begin to move in. He doesn't exactly fight them off, either.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keep the Dreams Away

**Author's Note:**

> For my friend Emily, who wanted some Stony fluffy cuddles~  
> My apologies for it being so short ^^;

Steve Rogers had never dated a man before. Well, he had honestly never dated period. Bucky had tried and tried, bless his soul, but none of those women that he hooked Steve up with ever clicked. When Steve met Tony Stark, oddly enough, things just fell into place. It wasn't often that Steve found himself out of his comfort zone. Tony Stark was everything but in his comfort zone, but part of Steve loved that. There was a natural pull between them that started with bickering.

Steve and Tony clicked just right after the battle with Loki. Pepper hadn't been able to handle Tony being Iron Man, but Steve fought right beside Tony. He could successfully scold Tony for his risk taking, and Tony had actually promised to try and ease up. They could compromise, and after the compromising came the cuddles, though Tony would never dare say that they were cuddling because that’s for teenagers and not grown men.

Tony had always thought he was alone in the sense of night terrors. He spent hours and hours up drinking coffee and working hard to forget the hot dessert and the bombs and the bitter taste of betrayal. He had been surprised to see Steve up at three in the morning once, looking out the window and holding a mug of hot chocolate with a haunted look in his eyes and unshed tears.

"Rough night, Capsicle?"

Steve turned his head and looked at him,

"I'm sure you have them, too."

Tony sat next to him, and put his arm around Steve. Steve didn't resist curling into Tony, and he sighed softly.

"I do. I doubt I even have to tell you what the dreams consist of. You're smart Rogers."

Steve chuckled sadly,

"You say you're not a soldier. You say we're not soldiers, but every time we go into a battle here in New York or in Russia, anywhere, you go to war. You get the look of someone who lost a man, or woman, that you truly cared about. So lets guess. You dream of sand. Hot, scalding sand and guns and bombs and death. Death of your parents, maybe Obie, and perhaps more."

Tony closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "You're not wrong. Its sickening, how on point you are Rogers."  


Steve gave a wry smile,

"Guess my terrors, Stark. I bet you'll get them, you're supposed to be smarter than me."

Tony fought the smile that threatened to appear and looked down at the big blonde in his arms. Those blue eyes were full of sadness, but at the same time swimming with a warmth he hadn't seen since he'd looked in Pepper's.

"You dream of my opposite. You dream of water so cold that it burns your lungs. You dream of guns and losing your friend Bucky on the train. You dream of losing your men on the battle field, with guns and Hydra and not making it home to Peggy. That sounded pretty poetic, don't you think?"

Steve looked up at him, smiling softly now, before gently pressing his nose to Tony's cheek.

"Thats not all."

Tony caved and tightened his hold on Steve, giving in to the instinct to hold him.

"What am I missing then?"

Steve let out a shuddering breath.

"You. I dream of you not making it back. Of Loki killing you, of you not falling back down from that portal and dying from that bomb in space. Of never getting to say thank you.."

Tony felt a bit of wetness against his cheek, but didn't voice it. Steve hated when Tony pointed out that he was crying. He claimed it made everything worse. It did, and after he found Steve crying over Peggy's recent death, he vowed never to point out the tears again.

"I'm right here Steve, not going anywhere. I'm like an infestation, a good looking infestation but oh so incredibly hard to kill."

Steve smiled and sniffed a bit, "I hope you stay like that, I like you alive."

Tony laughed at that, and he pressed a soft kiss to Steve's forehead. Were they official? No, but the comfort they gave one another was clear. Natasha and Clint were betting on how soon they would be official. Tony secretly got a thrill out of seeing who would be right. Soon after that conversation, Steve began to nonchalantly move into Tony's room. Not that Tony minded much anyways, he was hardly in there, but they slept curled up together often enough that Steve might as well just move rooms. Besides, Tony had the best bed in the building. The billionaire would never settle. Steve, despite seeming rather dominant, was a major cuddler. He would either hold Tony, or have Tony hold him. Tony couldn't really complain, because Steve was a heater in bed and his toes got pretty cold. A warm super soldier beat wearing socks any day. It was nice, getting more sleep because Steve did something Pepper had never managed to do: keep the dreams away.

Tony helped Steve's stay in the dark too, just not as effectively. Every so often he still dreamed of cold water, filling his lungs and pulling him down, down and down- So he decided to do something about it. Surely Tony wouldn't mind if he renovated just a little, right?

He had Pepper get Tony out of the Tower for a few days, and set to work. Tony, totally not suspecting that Steve was up to something, allowed Pepper to take himto meetings in LA, though he whined to her the entire time about it. Steve owed her big.

Perhaps it was when Tony came back from that trip that Natasha won the bet between her and Clint. Tony had been gone just over three days, coming back at six o'clock on a Saturday morning. He had thought himself clever about that time honestly, because Steve got up to run at that time. It was a normal routine, so when he stepped through the door and saw no Steve he pouted even more like a child. He tossed his bag down onto the couch and headed to the kitchen for some coffee.

"Jarvis?"

"Welcome home, Sir."

"Where's Steve?"

"Captain Rogers is in your quarters, sleeping."

He looked to the ceiling with a brow cocked,

"Sleeping? Really?"

"Yes, Captain Rogers is sleeping, Sir."

The AI seemed to be hiding something, and his almost sass had made Tony interested. Steve never slept in when it came to running, except on Sundays. He claimed he had to stay in shape. Tony didn't doubt him, because Steve was pretty nice to look at. He took his bitter, black coffee and headed towards his room. He gasped when he walked into the room.

"Jesus, Steve..."

He hadn't been expecting Steve to install a giant fish tank into the walls of the tower, more or less in his bedroom of all places, but he couldn't deny that it was beautiful. He'd put plants in it, and the tank took up the entire ceiling and the left bedroom wall. He went up to the glass and gently touched it, and smiled as two little fish came up to greet his fingers. They were goldfish surprisingly, but unlike any he had ever seen. There was a small white one, with a red cap-like whim on its head. The next was a black goldfish, with the eyes on the side of its head. It was pretty cute, and he watched as they swam side by side. He hadn't thought of fish as being creatures that could bond, but it seemed that the two little fish had become the best of friends. He heard the bed shift a bit, and turned his head a smidge.

"Tony?"

Steve had his bedhead game going strong, and Tony felt butterflies in his belly.

"Hey, sleepy head. You did quite a job in here, its.. I love it."

Steve's sleepy eyes lit up, and he childishly lifted his arms for Tony to slide into.

"Its silly, but the fish.. They help the dreams stay away when you're gone. Its like, they keep the waters safe so nothing can pull me under."

Tony slid into Steve's arms and kissed his lips slowly, almost sweetly. Steve let out a sound of approval, and nosed Tony's cheeks tiredly.

"I missed you.”

Tony felt himself melting a bit, and couldn't help but relax in Steve's arms. He looked up, and saw the little fish swimming overhead. They were cute, swimming and looking like they were shimmying in the water.

"Did you name the fish?"

Steve wrinkled his nose sleepily,

"The white one is Captain JaeJae, and the black one is BaBa Stark."

Tony chuckled and allowed himself to close his eyes,

"Are the fish a couple?"

Steve nodded and ran his fingers over Tony's side, as if making sure he were still there.

"So, why don't we be a couple too? Hm? Then we can be like, what is it called, twinning with the fish?"

Steve laughed softly at that,

"It'll be good to be official, after being unofficial for a few months. If you really want that?"

Tony looked up a bit, touching his nose to Steve's.

"I'd have never suggested it if I didn't want it. Tony Stark doesn't go half way."

Steve's blue eyes twinkled at that, and he nodded happily.

"I'd like that."

Later that day, Tony watched as Clint handed Natasha a few bills begrudgingly. Tony had long since learned not to bet against Natasha. She always won. Always.


End file.
